On tap the day after Churchill's Renaissance at Churchill's Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours a slightly murky dark honey orange with no head and no lace. Smell is of orange liqueur, bourbon, and wood. Taste is very bourbon forward with slight orange liqueur flavors and a woody finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty interesting barrel aged beer that almost tastes like straight bourbon with some citrus notes.

A: The pour is a slightly hazed light brown/dark amber color with a thin ring of white foam.

S: The nose has very intense bourbon aromas which are almost hot. The bourbon and the barrel, however, have provided some very nice vanilla, caramel, oak, and char notes. The base beer is almost completely masked, though.

T: For as much bourbon as the nose exhibits, the flavor is extremely well balanced. The base beer really comes through and provides some nice fruity notes of pear and apple. The bourbon barrel gives the vanilla and oak notes and provides a bit of warmth.

M: The body is medium to full with a low to moderate level of carbonation.

D: I was expecting this to be a booze bomb from the nose, but the flavor is surprisingly well balanced. I'm not the hugest fan of Golden Chaos, but the barrels have done some good work on this one.